Food cooking rotisserie

ABSTRACT

Enclosed rotisserie including a rear mounted heating element and a power rotated dual rod spit assembly. The spit assembly may also be mounted at various distances from the heating element to decrease cooking times. The open front of the enclosure is from time to time covered by an inclined glass panel door which may be opened in various ways to facilitate food insertion into and removal from the enclosure, and which may be easily removed for cleaning or other purposes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

[0001] This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/880,673 filed Jun. 13, 2001, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/662,308, filed Sep.15, 2000 which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/436,614, filed Nov. 9, 1999 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,645) which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/217,944, filed Dec.21, 1998(now U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,390).

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0002] The present inventions are directed toward cooking devices and inparticular toward enclosed horizontal rotisserie countertop cookingdevices and their accessories.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] A rotisserie is defined by Webster's Dictionary as “an appliancefitted with a spit on which food is rotated before or over a source ofheat”.

[0004] Rotisserie cooking, particularly on traditional horizontal spits,is considered to be among the healthiest ways of preparing foods. Unlikeother cooking methods, unhealthy grease and oil are allowed to drip offall sides of the food while it is being cooked. Other cooking methodsallow grease and oil to settle into the top of the foods.

[0005] Rotisserie cooking is also among the most tasty methods ofcooking. Contrasted with other cooking methods, moisture while cookingdoesn't settle to the bottom of the food, allowing the top to dry out.Taste is enhanced too because foods, and particularly meats, self-basteduring the rotisserie cooking process. This self basting both seals inflavor and moisture, and simultaneously adds flavors to the outside ofthe food being cooked.

[0006] Rotisserie cooking is also among the easiest methods of cooking.Rotisserie foods require little or no seasonings to add flavor forreasons just mentioned. And, unlike many other methods of cooking,rotisserie cooking requires no, or virtually no, attention during theactual cooking process.

[0007] Among the most popular rotisseries in today's U.S. marketplaceare those fitted to outdoor grills. Generally these have a gear reducedelectric motor powering a single rod horizontal spit over a charcoal orgas fired heat source, with either an open-air or enclosed oven design.

[0008] These units have their shortcomings, particularly duringinclement weather, or when it is very hot or very cold, or when flies,ants or yellow jackets are around, or when its windy, etc.

[0009] Models among these units which have enclosed ovens in whichrotisserie cooking is performed, usually have no internal light and nowindow or only a small window to view the food while its being cooked.Such construction makes it difficult to check cooking progress.

[0010] And opening the doors on these enclosed oven units generally letsout the hot cooking air which in turn slows cooking and makes gagingcooking times even more difficult.

[0011] And cooking results can be unpredictable on these units,particularly on charcoal fired models due to variances in the heatsource and outside air.

[0012] The exteriors of these units generally get very hot and thuspresent safety considerations which may require warning labels and extracaution on the part of the users.

[0013] Charcoal grills have additional inconveniences of having to startand maintain their hot coals.

[0014] Starting charcoal fires or using bottled or other forms of gasmay also present safety hazards.

[0015] And hot grease dripping into glowing charcoal, gas flames or ontohot electric coils may flare up.

[0016] In addition, the single rod spits used on most of theserotisseries may be difficult to use and may not do an adequate job ofsupporting the food being cooked.

[0017] Another popular rotisserie type in the U.S. market is theenclosed countertop rotisserie having a vertically rotating spit. Thesetypically have limited capacity, such as being able to cook only achicken weighing five pounds or less. Such capacity may be unsuitablefor families or for use at parties.

[0018] Also, many of these units have small door openings and hot ovenwalls which make it difficult to insert and remove food.

[0019] And usually when the door is opened it swings to one side whereit is still in the way of loading or unloading foods, especially whenthe door is hot.

[0020] And because these units rotate foods about a vertical axis, thetop half of the food usually becomes dry even when the chef takes theinconvenient trouble to regularly baste.

[0021] And there are usually no provisions for putting smaller foodscloser to the heat source where they might cook faster.

[0022] Typically these units have very hot exteriors which may presentsafety hazards requiring warning labels and extra user care.

[0023] Another rotisserie type becoming popular in the U.S. is thecountertop toaster oven with horizontal rotisserie spit.

[0024] These typically have capacity limitations similar to those foundon countertop rotisseries with vertical spits. They combine theselimitations with the difficulty of use of outdoor rotisseries with theirinadequate, awkward and limited use single rod spits.

[0025] Many of these countertop toaster ovens also present fire safetyand smoke hazards from heat rods which are directly next to grease drippans.

[0026] Most of these units have tight door openings and small ovencavities which make it difficult to insert and remove foods,particularly when the units are hot.

[0027] And many of these units have thermostatically controlled heatingelements which cycle on and off and thus lengthen rotisserie cookingtime. Rotisseries are most efficient when they have a constant radiantheat source. A constant source of heat, however, requires a method ofefficiently removing heat from the cooking cavity which these unitstypically don't posses. Without efficiently removing heat, rotisserieoven interiors may overheat.

[0028] These units also typically have small door windows and little orno interior lighting which makes it difficult to view cooking progress.

[0029] And their spits are very difficult to maneuver into place andpull out of the oven, both due to the small oven cavities and because ofpoor mounting design. This is particularly true when the oven is hot.

[0030] In addition, when the doors open on these units, they generallyswing down or swing to one side where they are in the way of loading andunloading food, particularly when the doors are hot.

[0031] And their doors are generally complicated in construction,typically having a small piece of glass framed with several pieces ofmetal, the entire assembly which is then permanently hinged to thecooking cavity.

[0032] These units too generally have no means to bring smaller foodscloser to the heat source where they might cook faster.

[0033] Additionally, most rotisseries on the market today have severalshortcomings in common.

[0034] They are usually limited as to what they can cook. Small foods orfoods that can't be skewered may not be mountable for cooking. Evenwhere baskets that fit on the spits are available, they are difficult touse and generally do a poor job of holding some types of food.

[0035] Next, cleanup is very difficult on most units. This is becausefew components can be removed for cleaning, and areas which require alot of cleaning may be difficult to access, as an example, behind theheating elements.

[0036] Most rotisseries can only rotisserie cook. They can't steam orheat other foods simultaneously while rotisserie cooking. This isimportant because most people like vegetables or other side dishes toaccompany their rotisserie cooked foods.

[0037] Most rotisseries occupy a large amount of space. This isparticularly detrimental for indoor units where kitchen space may be ata premium.

[0038] And few current rotisseries adequately display the food beingcooked which, with rotisserie cooking, can be a taste tempting show initself.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0039] A preferred embodiment of the present inventions comprises acountertop resting box-like enclosure housing a safety rear mountedheating element and a power rotated dual rod spit assembly.

[0040] The gear driven spit assembly may be easily inserted and removedstraight into and out of the enclosure without need for angling orcoupling the assembly to a power drive socket.

[0041] The spit assembly may also be mounted at various distances fromthe heating element to decrease cooking times.

[0042] The open front of the enclosure is from time to time covered byan inclined glass panel door which may be opened in various ways tofacilitate food insertion into and removal from the enclosure, and whichmay be easily removed for cleaning or other purposes.

[0043] The embodiment's design makes efficient use of valuable counterspace by recessing back and raising off the countertop its controls.

[0044] A contained light as well as room light emitted through theinclined glass door illuminate the enclosure's interior to make therotisserie cooking into a taste tempting show.

[0045] Two countertop supported sizes for the embodiment are suggested,one for larger families and entertaining, and the other for smallfamilies and singles.

[0046] Cooking times are decreased and manufacture simplified by theembodiment heating element remaining on constantly during the cookingprocess.

[0047] Maintenance is minimized by various embodiment parts beingremovable for cleaning including a cleaning shield located behind theheating element, the glass door, and a drip pan.

[0048] A variety of foods may be cooked using the spit and accessoriesthat attach to the spit. Such accessories include wire baskets and arotating stir fryer.

[0049] Foods may be cooked on top of the embodiment as well using anincluded warming tray and an inserted steaming tray with cover.

[0050] Grease-tight rotisserie/barbecue gloves make food handling easierand safer, as can also be said for a spit support platform whichsupports the spit assembly for food mounting and carving.

[0051] Self-rotating kabob rods cook kabobs on all sides evenly andallow for increasing rotisserie capacity by increasing the length ofrotating rods available for rotisserie food mounting.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0052]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of thepresent inventions showing phantom lines for various glass doorpositions.

[0053]FIG. 2 is a section view of the preferred embodiment shown in FIG.1 as indicated in FIG. 8.

[0054]FIG. 3 is a broken out perspective view of the front lower rightcorner of the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1 showing in phantomlines how the glass door is mounted.

[0055]FIG. 4 is a broken out perspective view of the front lower leftcorner of the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1 showing in phantomlines how the glass door is mounted.

[0056]FIG. 5 is an enlarged section of FIG. 1 showing details of thetimer, control switch, heater indication light and the vents in the sidewall.

[0057]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the section shown in FIG. 2.

[0058]FIG. 7 is the same perspective view shown in FIG. 6 but with thespit plate removed and an alternative fan activated heat removal andcabinet cooling system installed.

[0059]FIG. 8 is a section taken through the alternative fan activatedpreferred embodiment shown in FIG. 7 as indicated in FIG. 7.

[0060]FIG. 9 is a detailed perspective view of the light used toilluminate the cooking interior of the preferred embodiments shown inFIGS. 1 through 6 with the translucent red lens shown in dotted lines.

[0061]FIG. 10 is an enlarged detail of FIG. 1 showing in greater detailthe upper left corner of the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

[0062]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a preferred spit assemblyincluding a spit support platform.

[0063]FIG. 12 is a sectioned perspective view taken from below of thelid used on the warming/steaming tray unit showing ribbing used toprevent uncontrolled dripping of condensed liquids.

[0064]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the spit assembly shown in FIG.11 mounting a rotary cooking container.

[0065]FIG. 13A is a perspective view of an alternative rotary cookingcontainer to the one shown in FIG. 13 but which does not require aseparate spit assembly in order to operate.

[0066]FIG. 14 is a broken perspective section of a kabob rod showingwith phantom lines how it mounts into the spit plate.

[0067]FIG. 15 is a plan side view of the spit plate and kabob rod shownin FIG. 14 showing how the kabob rod is turned by the drive gear whenthe spit plate rotates.

[0068]FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a food cooking basket showing inphantom lines how the lid for the basket is mounted.

[0069]FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the food cooking basket shown inFIG. 16 with food contained within the basket and the basket mounted onthe spit assembly.

[0070]FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an alternative spit supportplatform.

[0071]FIG. 19 shows the alternative spit support platform shown in FIG.18 being used to support spit mounted food including use of glovesspecifically designed for use in rotisseries.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0072] A preferred embodiment utilizing the present inventions comprisesa metal enclosure 20 including an essentially horizontal metal floor 22and metal roof 24, a generally vertical metal back 26, and twoessentially vertical side walls including a double paneled right sidewall 28 and a double paneled left side wall 30, and an inclined glassfront door 32. A curved metal section 34 containing louver vents 238joins the generally vertical metal back 26 to the essentially horizontalmetal roof 24.

[0073] Two horizontal front-to-back running rod-like side rails 38 40,one located below the double paneled right side wall 28 and one disposedbelow the double paneled left side wall 30, support the metal enclosure20 and raise it off a countertop 42 or flat surface on which it mightrest. Four rubber feet 44, 46, and 48 located on the bottom 52 of theside rails 38 40 keep the rails 38 40 from scratching countertops 42 andhelp prevent the embodiment from skidding.

[0074] The side rails 38 and 40 have lifting handles 54 and 56projecting from their sides, one 54 projecting rightward from the rightside rail 38, and one 56 projecting leftward from the left side rail 40.These lifting handles 54 and 56 allow the embodiment to be lifted andcarried.

[0075] The side rails 38 and 40 also incorporate two cord windingprojections 58 and 60 extending rearward, one 58 from the back of theright side rail 38 and one 60 from the back of the left side rail 40.These cord winding projections 58 and 60 serve to wrap the cord forshortening its length, or for storing the cord while carrying theembodiment or during storage, or for other reasons. The cord windingprojections 58 and 60 also keep the back 26 of the embodiment fromdirectly contacting a vertical back wall.

[0076] The glass front door 32 is essentially a single flat panel ofglass 64 with a round steel axle rod 66 held along its lower edge 68 bya “U” shaped channel 70 which is silicone glued to both the lower edge68 of the panel of glass 64 and the axle rod. This axle rod extendsoutward 72 and 74 from both lower corners 76 and 78 of the panel ofglass 64.

[0077] The rails 38 and 40 provide tracks 81 and 83 which engage andsupport the two ends 80 and 82 of the round steel axle rod 66 whichextend horizontally from each lower corner of the lower edge 68 of theglass front door 32, and this engagement with these tracks 81 and 83controls movement of the glass front door 32 to pivot downward 84 fromthe door's 32 closed position 85 and to slide under 87 the metalenclosure 20.

[0078] In the upper right corner 86 of the panel of glass 64 and theupper left corner 88, there are two handles 90 and 92, one for eachcorner 86 and 88, which have rod-like grips 94 and 96 which extendhorizontally outward 72 and 74 in opposite directions. By making thegrips extend horizontally instead of vertically, the overall height ofthe embodiment is minimized. This may be particularly advantageous inplacing the embodiment below over counter cabinets or other overheadobjects. The handle geometry is such that either handle 90 and 92 orboth handles 90 and 92 may be easily used to grip and open or close theglass door 32, or slide it 32 under 87 the metal enclosure 20 or holdthe door for other reasons such as removal.

[0079] The inclined glass door 32 may be held closed 85 by gravityalone, requiring no other latching mechanism. Thus, when compared tocooking enclosures having latches, this preferred embodiment doorconstruction generally: reduces required assembly parts, simplifiesmanufacturing, makes manufacturing tolerances wider, and makes useroperation easier and more reliable.

[0080] When compared to a vertical glass door, the inclined glass door32 also typically permits more ambient light to enter the cooking cavityand allows viewing of food being cooked from a broader range of verticalangles, thus making viewing of the food being cooked easier and moreconvenient. This in turn makes it easier to determine cooking progressand turns cooking of rotisserie food into an entertaining and tastetantalizing show.

[0081] A light 98 mounted between the panels 99 and 101 of the doublepaneled right side wall 28 introduces additional light into the cookingcavity 104 and further adds to the food viewing advantages just stated.This light 98 has a frosted translucent glass cover 100 which is in acontiguous plane with the interior wall 101 of the double paneled rightside wall 28. This cover 100 separates the light bulb 98 from thecooking cavity 104. The light bulb 98 has a shiny metal reflector 106behind it which backs onto the outside wall 99 of the double paneledright side wall 28. The light 98 is wired to come on any time theembodiment's heat coil 110 is on.

[0082] A translucent red colored lens 112 penetrates the reflector 106located behind the light bulb 98 and penetrates the outside panel 99 ofthe double paneled right side wall 28. Light shines through this redcolored lens from the light 98 whenever the light bulb 98 and thus theheat coil 110 is on. This red colored lens 112 is visible on the outsideof the right side wall 99 and gives a clear visible indication of whenthe heat coil 110 is operating. Using a single light 98 to bothilluminate the interior of the cooking cavity 104, as well as giveindication on the outside of the embodiment of when the heat coil 110 isoperating, cuts down on required parts, simplifies embodimentconstruction, and increases embodiment reliability. Such a operationwarning light may also meet the requirements for an “on” indicator asset by safety regulatory bodies such as Underwriters Laboratories. Thelens color may also be changed, as an example to green, to match foreignsafety standards such as those established by TUV in Germany.

[0083] The glass door 32 is silk printed 114 and 118 with trademark,decoration and safety markings. Such markings 114 may be printed intranslucent inks which may be back lit by illumination from the light 98mounted into the double paneled right side wall 28. Such glowing backlit markings 114 may be thus made to be much more visible and dramatic,especially in dark rooms, than similar common unlit markings.

[0084] Markings 114 on the panel of glass 64 may by placed to blockglare from light 98 mounted into the double paneled right side wall 28from shining into viewer's eyes thus making the embodiment more pleasantto look at due to less emitted light glare.

[0085] Markings 118 on the door 32 may match the color of the enclosuredoor 32 frame 116 which backs portions of the glass door 32 when thedoor 32 is closed 85. Such markings 118 when viewed against thebackground of the like colored enclosure frame 116 when the door 32 isclosed 85, may be virtually invisible. When the glass door 32 is lowered84, however, the markings 118 may become very visible. Thus a warningmarking such as “Caution—Hot Surface” 118 may be printed to appearmirror imaged and upside down over when it is virtually invisible whilethe door 32 is closed 85 and the marking 118 is displayed against thelike colored frame 116 background. When the door 32 is lowered 84 andopened 134 and 87, however, the marking 118 may become clearly visibleand appear in proper orientation, that is right side up and not mirrorimaged, reading correctly “Caution—Hot Surface”.

[0086] Any inclination past vertical may be used for the glass frontdoor 32, but an angle between five and twenty-five degrees has beenfound to be most advantageous for producing satisfactory door latchingand food viewing, as well as for conserving valuable countertop space.Too flat a glass angle stretches out the bottom of the enclosure andconsumes an unacceptable amount of countertop space. Too steep a glassangle won't allow proper door latching and provides a poor view of foodsbeing cooked. Inclining the front of the enclosure increases theenclosure's footprint on a countertop and thus increases its stabilityand decreases any tendency to tip over or be accidentally moved.

[0087] The preferred embodiment may be constructed at any scale.However, two sizes have been found to be particularly advantageous. Forlarge families, or for parties and entertaining, an enclosure withcooking cavity 104 interior dimensions between eleven and thirteeninches wide side to side, ten to twelve inches from the cooking cavityceiling 142 to the top of the drip pan 120, as explained later herein,and ten to twelve inches deep from the inside of the glass door 32 tothe front of the heating rods 110, as explained later, as measuredhorizontally midway between the ceiling 142 and the top of the drip pan120. When constructed at this scale, the embodiment can cook a fifteenpound turkey, or two six pound chickens. Fifteen pound turkeys areconsidered among the largest turkeys commonly sold around Thanksgivingand Christmas. And six pound chickens are among the largest commonlysold popular chickens sold in US supermarkets. Thus such a size meetsthe needs of most large families or people who entertain.

[0088] A second advantageous size meets the needs of smaller families,people who live alone, or people with very small kitchens. For thesemarkets, a cooking cavity 104 with interior dimensions between nine andeleven inches wide, seven to nine inches from the cooking cavity ceilingto the top of the drip pan, and seven to nine inches deep from theinside of the glass door 32 to the front of the heating rods isparticularly advantageous. When constructed at this scale, theembodiment can cook a six pound chicken, or two three pound chickens.Three pound chickens are among the smallest commonly sold chickens. Thissize thus meets the needs of most smaller families or people who livealone.

[0089] The inclined glass front door 32 may rotate downward 84 andfollowing such rotation to an essentially horizontal position 85, slideunder 87 the metal enclosure 20 with glass front door's 32 axles 80 and82 engaging into the tracks 81 and 83 in the two front-to-back siderails 38 and 40. In this slid-under position 87, the top 126 of theglass door 32 is held off the countertop 42 by flat horizontal ribs 91and 93 in the side rails 38 and 40. Also in the slid-under position 87,the glass door 32 is out of the way of foods being loaded into orremoved from the cooking cavity 104. This is particularly advantageouswhen the door 32 is hot and user contact with it might cause burns.

[0090] Alternatively, the enclosure 20 may be placed on the edge 30 of acountertop 42 and the glass door 32 may be rotated below the countertop42 level 132 where it will also be out of the way of food loading andunloading.

[0091] As a third alternative, the glass door 32 may be opened 134 ontoa countertop by being rotated down 84 from its closed position 85 to thecountertop.

[0092] The glass front door 32 is also removable for cleaning, foodloading, or other purposes.

[0093] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, this removal is accomplished by movingthe door's 32 left axle 82 out of engagement with the track 83 in theleft side rail 40 by sliding the axle 82 through a slot 138 located inthe front of the left side rail 40. After this, the right axle 80 ispulled out of engagement with the track 81 in the right side rail 38 bymoving the glass door 32 and the attached right axle 80 to the left 140,away from the right rail 38. Reinstalling the glass door 32 is done byreversing the above procedure.

[0094] Several advantages come from using what is essentially a singlepanel of glass 64 for the front door 32. First, unlike most other framedglass constructions, the door 32 may be washed in a dishwasher, or sink,or immersed in liquid.

[0095] Second, when compared to doors which have framed glass,construction is generally: simpler, has fewer parts, is less expensive,and is lighter in weight for comparable transparent viewing area.Appearance is also typically cleaner. And the viewing area isunsurpassed compared to most other constructions.

[0096] On top 142 of the metal enclosure 20 may rest a warming/steamingtray unit 144 comprising a lower heating pan 146, an intermediatesteaming tray 148 with holes 149 in its floor which rests down into thelower heating pan 146, and a warming tray lid 150 which caps andencloses both the lower heating pan 146 and the intermediate steamingtray 148.

[0097] This unit is supported by four frustum conical feet 152projecting from near each of the four corners of the bottom of the lowerheating pan 146, each of the feet 152 which rests into its own two levelinverted wedding cake shaped support indention 154 located near each ofthe corners of the roof 24 of the metal enclosure 20. Each foot 152 mayrest in the lower most level of each such indention 154 allowing directcontact between the roof 24 of the metal enclosure 20 and the floor 156of the lower heating pan 146; or each foot 152 may rest at the nextlevel up of each indention 154 providing an air space 158 between theroof 24 of the metal enclosure 20 and the floor of the lower heating pan146, thus lowering the temperature of the floor 156 of the lower heatingpan 146 and the temperature inside the warming/steaming tray unit 144.Such temperature control may be used in warming, cooking or steamingfoods or in any combination of these functions or other functions—i.e.steaming vegetables and then keeping them warm.

[0098] The warming/steaming tray unit 144 may be used to warm, cook orsteam foods, either simultaneous with rotisserie cooking or independentof it. And it may perform these functions either with or without theintermediate steaming tray 148 in place, and either with or without thewarming tray lid 150 in place.

[0099] Handles 160 on either side of the heating pan 146 make it easy tolift the entire warming/steaming tray unit 144, with or without theintermediate streaming tray 148, and with or without the warming traylid 150 in place. As an extra measure of convenience, the placement ofthe warming/steaming tray feet 152 is symmetrical both front to back andside to side thus allowing the user to place it 144 on top of the metalenclosure 20 with a given heating pan handle 160 on the right side or onthe left side of the metal enclosure 20.

[0100] Water may be placed in the lower heating pan 146 and theintermediate steaming tray 148 put in place to facilitate the steamingof vegetables or other foods.

[0101] When foods are being steamed or when moist foods are being heatedin the warming/steaming tray unit 144, droplets of water generallycondense on the warming tray lid 150. These droplets may present asafety hazard when the user lifts off the lid because the droplets maybe hot and tend to run to the side of the lid 150 and drop onto the userwhen the lid is lifted and tilted. As shown in FIG. 12, to help preventthis from happening, the lid 150 has several concentric “V” shaped ribs151 on the underside of its top surface. When the lid 150 is lifted andtilted, water droplets on this surface begin to run to the side of thelid 150. En route to the side of the lid 150, most of the water dropletscross the concentric “V” shaped ribs 151 and drop safely back into theintermediate steaming tray 148 or lower heating pan 146, thus preventingburns which might occur if the “V” shaped ribs 151 were not present andthe hot water droplets dripped onto the embodiment user.

[0102] The warming tray lid 150 may be constructed of any of manysuitable materials. It would be advantageous for it 150 to betranslucent or transparent so cooking or steaming progress as well asthe food being cooked could be observed without removing the lid 150.Glass or plastics such as polypropylene, polycarbonate, or Ultem™ fromGE Plastics might be suitable for use in constructing the lid 150 asexamples.

[0103] The warming tray lid 150 has a handle 153 in the center of itsoutside top surface to help in its use. This handle 153 is textured tohelp prevent slippage.

[0104] Within the metal enclosure 20, resting on its floor 22, is a drippan 120 which mounts inside it, and is covered by, a grate cover 162.The drip pan 120 collects grease, oil, and liquid which come from thefood being rotisserie cooked.

[0105] The grate cover 162 is a metal cover perforated with slots 163which reduces splashing, and smoke, and flares from liquids from therotisserie cooked foods splashing and hitting heat coils 110 and otherhot surfaces, and diminishes the risk fire from hot grease and oilinside which has dripped from rotisserie cooking food into the drip pan120 becoming overheated and igniting.

[0106] The drip pan 120 and capping grate cover 162 may be pulled out164 to facilitate their own cleaning, or the embodiment's interiorcleaning, or for other purposes.

[0107] The grate cover 162 and underlying drip pan 120 both tend to getdirty during rotisserie cooking. In the preferred embodiment, both arecovered on their upper sides with a nonstick coating similar to thatused in nonstick fry pans. Such coating greatly reduces cleanup,particularly on the grate cover 162 which may get grease, oil andresidue dripped on it while simultaneously being exposed to high heatfrom the heat coil 110 which bakes the drippings on.

[0108] As shown in FIG. 2, the drip pan 120 may be pulled out part way166 to prevent grease and oil from dripping onto counter tops or theglass front door 32 when food is being prepared for cooking in the spittrack rest position 168, as explained later, or when food is beingremoved from the metal enclosure 20 after cooking.

[0109] Adding to user convenience, the grate cover 162 and drip pan 120are each square, thus allowing the user to place the grate cover 162 inthe drip pan 120 with any given corner of the grate cover 162 resting inany corner of the drip pan 120, and allowing the drip pan 120 to beplaced in the metal enclosure 20 with any of its four corners resting inany corner of the metal enclosure 20.

[0110] As shown in FIG. 11, the embodiment's spit assembly 170 comprisesa first metal spit plate 172 and a second metal spit plate 174. Thefirst metal spit plate 172 has two sharpened cylindrical spit rods 176178 attached at right angles to it. This first metal spit plate 172 iscircular in outline with gear teeth 180 on its periphery and eightevenly spaced essentially round kabob holes 182 penetrating it justinside of and adjacent to the gear teeth 180. These kabob holes 182 arefor supporting kebob rods 184 as explained later.

[0111] The center of the first metal plate 172 is frustum conicallyindented away from the projecting attached spit rods with a stub axle186 projecting from the back bottom center of the plate's 172 frustumconical indent.

[0112] The stub axle 186 has circular grooves 188 cut into itscylindrical periphery. These grooves 188 help to prevent squeaking fromthe stub axles rubbing against their support tracks 198 200, describedlater, when the spit assembly 170 is rotating.

[0113] The second metal spit plate 174 is the mirror image of the firstmetal spit plate 172 except in place of the two attached spit rods 176and 178 it has two short spit rod support tubes 192 attached. Thesetubes 192 receive, and hold by an overlapping friction fit, thesharpened ends of the two spit rods 176 and 178.

[0114] Foods are secured to the spit simply by running one or both ofthe two sharpened spit rods 176 and 178 through the food and thencapping the rods by pushing the tubes 192 in the second spit plate 174over the sharpened ends of the spit rods 176 and 178 projecting from thefirst spit plate 172. The food is then easily inserted into theembodiment as explained later.

[0115] The spit assembly 170 of the preferred embodiment has severaladvantages over other available spit assemblies. It's compact andefficient in the use of space both inside and outside the cooking cavity104. Because the spit assembly 170 is placed straight into the cookingcavity without angling or sliding into a drive socket, and because nodrive forks or other space robbing mechanisms are required to hold evenlarge and heavy pieces of food, almost the entire length of the spitrods 176 and 178, which run almost the full width of the cooking cavity104 from the interior left oven wall 103 to the interior right oven wall101, may be used to cook food. Other available spit rods, because theymust be angled into place and slid into a drive socket are far lessefficient in cooking space utilization.

[0116] Also, with the spit rods 176 and 178 on the preferred embodimentthere is no loss of space outside the cooking cavity 104 while foods arebeing loaded into or are being cooked in the cooking cavity 104. Otheravailable spit rods have handles which project beyond their cookingenclosure and waste valuable counter space.

[0117] The spit assembly 170 on the preferred embodiment, as explainedearlier, with its dual spit rod 176 and 178 design, holds foods morefirmly than other single spit rod designs. This advantage means thateven heavy and large foods rotate solidly with the spit assembly 170 anddon't become loose and flop or fall off the rods 176 and 178. On otherspit rod designs, foods tend to shift while rotating and become looseand fall off the spit rods when this looseness bores a hole through thefood being cooked.

[0118] The spit assembly 170 on the preferred embodiment, as explainedin more detail later herein, also integrates the mounting ofself-rotating kabob rods into its design. Many other spit rod designsdon't even plan for the mounting of non-rotating kabob rods.

[0119] And the spit assembly 170 on the preferred embodiment, as alsoexplained in more detail later herein, also allows for the easy andsolid mounting of other cooking accessories such as cooking baskets 270.Other spit rods designs may make no such provisions.

[0120] The spit assembly 170 on the preferred embodiment makes foodmounting easy. The food is simply pushed onto the two relatively skinnyand sharp spit rods 176 and 178, the second spit plate 174 slid intoplace, and the assembly, food and all, is placed directly into thecooking cavity 104. Other designs have thicker spit rods which are moredifficult to shove through foods, and these designs may require hard touse accessories, such as mounting forks, to secure the foods fromrotating independently of the spit while cooking, and placing foods intotheir cooking enclosures is more difficult, as explained in the nextparagraph.

[0121] The spit assembly 170 on the preferred embodiment is easy andintuitive to load into the cooking cavity 104. The assembly 170 issimply shoved directly into the cooking cavity without angling or havingto align its end with and slide it into a drive socket. Other designswith drive sockets or other complicated drive means are far moredifficult to use.

[0122] And foods are easy to unload from the preferred embodiment's spitassembly 170. The assembly 170 is simply slide straight out of thecooking cavity 104, the second spit plate 174 easily removed, and thefoods slid off the two rods 176 and 178. Other spit rods are difficultto remove from their cooking enclosures, some requiring the attachmentof handles or lifting devices, and/or angling to uncouple drivemechanisms, and may require the additional steps of removal ofaccessories, such as food mounting forks.

[0123] The spit assembly 170 on the preferred embodiment may be mountedcloser to the cooking heat source 110 to speed cooking of smaller foods.Other spit rod designs don't offer this feature.

[0124] Cleaning of the spit rods 176 and 178 is enhanced by nonstickcoating, similar to that used in nonstick fry pans, covering theirsurfaces which contact food during cooking. The ends of the spit rodsmay be left uncoated to facilitate the easy insertion of the rods 176and 178 into the spit rod support tubes 192.

[0125] To facilitate food loading onto the spit assembly, a spit supportbase 194 is supplied with the preferred embodiment. This spit supportbase 194 can hold the first spit plate 172 with its spit rods 176 and178 projecting directly upward. In this position, foods can be easilyloaded onto the spit rods 176 and 178 by lowering the foods onto thepointed ends of the rods 176 and 178. In addition, the spit support base194 can be used to help in serving. In this capacity, the support base194, possibly after being placed on top of a plate, can hold foodsskewered on the vertically disposed spit rods 176 and 178 while the foodis being removed from the spit rods 176 and 178 or while the food isbeing carved.

[0126] A variant 196 of the spit support base 194 shown in FIGS. 18 and19 expands the diameter of the support base 194 and allows the expandeddiameter support base 196 to be used for all of the original 194 supportbase's functions plus it may be used as a serving plate for foods eithernot skewered or positioned on vertically supported spit rods 176 and178. In addition, this larger variant 196 may eliminate any need for aplate when the support base is used as a serving platform holding thespit assembly 170 with its rods 176 and 178 disposed vertically.

[0127] As shown in FIG. 19, this spit support base variant 196 may alsobe used to help load and unload foods into and from the embodiment.Here, the support base 196 is placed under the food, and the supportbase 196 along with the food which it supports is lifted and moved toload the food into, or remove the food from, the enclosure 20.

[0128] Similarly, any dish shaped device might be used to help load andunload food to and from the enclosure 20. Such a shape is enhanced forthis use if its perimeter is raised in a manner similar to that found ona soup bowl. Such a raised perimeter helps better support the foodsbeing inserted into or removed from the enclosure 20 and more reliablyholds liquids which may drip form such foods.

[0129] Either the original 194 or the variant 196 spit support base maybe used to keep the spit assembly 170 from rolling on a countertop.Here, one of the spit plates 172 and 174 is placed into either anupright or inverted spit support base 194 and 196 resting on thecountertop which thus prevents the spit assembly 170 from rolling byproviding a stable indention, i.e. either the top face or bottom face ofthe support base 194 and 196 resting flat on the counter, in which oneof the round spit plates 172 174 may rest.

[0130] Because there are two spit rods 176 and 178, foods may bepenetrated by both rods 176 and 178 and thus the foods may be securelyheld and prevented from spinning independent of the spit assembly's 170rotation, or prevented from dropping off the spit assembly 170. Thiscompares to conventional single rod spit designs which tear holes infood because all the food's weight is supported on a single rod. Foodssupported on such single rods may break loose and fail to turn as thespit turns because of inadequate tortional support engagement betweenthe spit and the food. Foods may also fall off of single spit rods dueto inadequate weight distribution and support, and because food movementnot synchronized with the spit tends to tear holes in the foods whichresults in the foods tearing loose of the spit.

[0131] In addition, many single spit rods use clamped-on support forkspositioned at each end of the spit rod supported food to compensate forfood tearing and spinning independently of the spit assembly. Thesesupport forks frequently cause further problems by being difficult andinconvenient to install and remove as well as by shortening the lengthof food that can fit on the spit rods because of the space the supportforks consume.

[0132] Once the spit 170 is fully assembled with the food skewered onthe spit rods 176 and 178 and the tubes 192 projecting from the secondmetal spit plate slid over and capping the pointed ends of the spit rods176 and 178 orthogonally projecting from the first metal spit plate 172,the spit assembly 170 is ready to be loaded into the embodimentenclosure 20.

[0133] The double paneled right side wall 28 and the double paneled leftside wall 30 each contain an indented spit support track 198 200 ontheir interior panels 101 and 103. In the preferred embodiment, the spitsupport track 200 on the interior panel 103 of the left double paneledside wall 30 is a mirror image of the spit support track 198 on theinterior panel 101 of the right double paneled side wall 28.

[0134] These two spit support tracks 198 and 200 engage the stub axles186 on the spit plates 172 and 174 when the spit assembly 170 is slidinto the enclosure 20. The tracks 198 and 200 allow the spit assembly170, including any spit accessories or any food thereon, to slide in andout of the enclosure 20. In addition, each track 198 200 has three axlepositioning indents 168, 122 and 202 which can support and hold the stubaxles 186, and thus the spit assembly 170. in specific track 198 and 200locations.

[0135] The first 168 of these axle positioning indents 168, 122 and 202is located on each track 198 and 200 adjacent to the door 32 opening.This indent 168 is referred to as the rest position and has severalfunctions. First, when loading or unloading food from the embodiment, itmay be first rested in this position 168 where a better grip may beobtained on the food or where it simply may be rested. It also serves asthe first location to catch the spit assembly 170 as it's being loadedinto the embodiment, and the last location to catch the spit assembly170 before it leaves.

[0136] It also serves as an area to prepare food. As an example, in therest position 168 foods can be centered on the spit rod, or ties tosecure the wings and legs on a chicken might be readjusted, or barbecuesauce can be brushed on a chicken or baby back ribs, or seasoningsapplied to other foods.

[0137] When the rest position 168 is being used for food preparation, itmay be advantageous to pull the drip pan 120 and attached grate cover162 to their part way out position 166, as explained earlier, to keepfoods and preparations from dripping or dropping onto the countertop orglass door.

[0138] The rest position 168 on each spit support track 198 and 200 isbacked by an upwardly inclined track portion 204. This inclined track204, combined with the large open front throat of the track and restposition 168, makes it easy to catch the spit assembly 170 and hold itin the rest position 168 when it's inserted into the enclosure 20, andit makes it obvious that the spit assembly 170 has been caught in therest position 168 when it is being removed from the enclosure 20.

[0139] The tracks' 198 and 200 lowered front portions allows foods toduck under the enclosure's roof 24 front overhang 206, thus allowinglarger foods to be loaded into the enclosure 20. The roof 24 frontoverhang 206 is necessary to give strength to the front of the roof 24,and without lowering the front of the track, the size of the foods whichmight be loaded into the enclosure 20 could be reduced and be smallerthan the capacity of the enclosure 20 itself.

[0140] When the spit assembly 170 is being loaded into the enclosure 20,the assembly 170 first passes the rest position 168, then the inclinedtrack portion 204, and next it comes to the low heat position 122 whereits stub axles 186 can be engaged by gravity into a detent 168, 122 and202 and rotate. In the low heat position 122 the gear teeth 180 on theperimeter of the spit plate closest to the right side inner side wall101 engage a motor driven drive gear 208 which penetrates into theenclosure through the right side inner side wall 101. The spit assembly170 and any spit accessories or food thereon, may be rotated by thismotor driven drive gear 208 in front of the embodiment's rear heatingelement 110, which is described later herein.

[0141] A quick and easy method of tying up loose parts of foods to berotisserie cooked has been found using the spit support track 200, timer222 and control switch 224. As an example wings and legs on chickens,ducks and turkeys can be easily secured using this method. First, theend of a length of string is secured to a wing, leg or other part of thefowl using a simple wrap or a slip knot as examples. In the alternative,the end of the string might be indirectly secured to the fowl bysecuring the string to the spit assembly 170. This might be done whilethe fowl is supported on the spit assembly 170 in the spit support track200 rest position 168 or while the fowl is outside the embodiment. Next,the spit assemble is moved back to either the low heat 122 or high heat202 spit support track 200 position. The control switch 224 is thenturned to the “no heat rotation” 252 position and the timer turned on.As the fowl rotates, the string automatically wraps around the fowl'sloose parts thus securing them. Once secured, the timer is turned off,the string is cut, and its end tied or wrapped or otherwise secured tothe fowl on a wing, leg or other part. In the alternative again, the cutend of the string might be indirectly secured to the fowl by securingthe end to the spit assembly 170.

[0142] The direction of spit assembly 170 rotation is important inproducing satisfactory cooking results. The embodiment's heating element110 is located half way up, and directly adjacent to, the back 26 wallof the enclosure 20. The drive gear 208 rotates the spit assembly 170 sofood rotate 175 from the top of the enclosure 20 down to directly infront of the heating element 110 and then down to the bottom of theenclosure where the food rotates 175 back to the top of the enclosure 20while the food faces away from the heating element 110. Reversing thisrotation 175 has been found to result in smoke, small flare-ups and lesstasty food.

[0143] The speed of spit assembly rotation has also been found to beimportant in producing rotisserie cooked foods with generally superiortaste and texture. The preferred embodiment has a spit assembly 170rotation speed of between 3.5 and 5 rpm. This is typically faster thanmost home rotisseries operate

[0144] The low heat position 122 may support large foods up to thecapacity of the enclosure 20. However, it may also support foods of anysize including smaller sized foods. In some cases the low heat position122 may be desirable to cook smaller foods slower as an example.

[0145] Rotisserie cooking in the preferred embodiment differs in severalways from conventional oven cooking. First, in conventional oven cookingthe food remains stationary and is cooked by hot air. In the preferredembodiment, food is rotated about a horizontal axis and is cooked by acombination of both radiant energy coming directly from the heat coil110 and air heated by the heat coil 110. Radiant energy is generallymore efficient than hot air in conveying cooking energy to food and thustypically gets foods hotter quicker.

[0146] However without food rotation, radiant energy tends to dry outand burn foods as is the case in most conventional oven broilers. Also,without food rotation, radiant energy tends to cook grease and oil intofoods, and particularly into meats.

[0147] Rotisserie cooking in the preferred embodiment is generallyquicker than conventional oven cooking. This is partly due to theefficiency of radiant energy heating and also due to food movement whichhelps break the air boundary layer around foods being cooked and thusspeeds hot air heat transfer to foods in a similar manner to fan drivenhome convection bake ovens.

[0148] Cooking speed is also increased because foods are alternatelysuper heated on their surfaces as they pass directly in front of theheating coil and then the heat is allowed to soak into the foods as theyrotate away from the heating coil.

[0149] Natural expansion and contraction as foods heat and cool duringrotation also helps speed the cooking process and lower cooking times.

[0150] Directly behind and above the low heat track position 122, is thehigh heat track position 202. Again, the stub axles 186 of the spitassembly 170 may be pushed back, raised and rested into this position.In this position the gear teeth 180 in the perimeter of the spit plateclosest to the right side inner side wall 101 may engage the drive gear208 and the spit assembly 170 may be thus power rotated. Smaller foodsmay be rotated closer to the heating element 110 in the high heat trackposition 202 which may greatly reduce such smaller foods' cooking times.

[0151] Inserting the spit assembly 170 into the preferred embodimentrequires only resting it on the left and right spit support tracks 200and 198 and lifting and pushing it back into the enclosure 20 to thedesired use position 168, 122 and 202, be it the rest position 168, thelow heat position 122 or the high heat position 202.

[0152] Removing the spit assembly 170 from the high heat track position202, the low heat track position 122, or from the rest track position168, requires only lifting and pulling the spit assembly 170 toward thefront of the enclosure 20.

[0153] This easy insertion of the spit assembly 170 into, and simpleremoval of the spit assembly 170 from, the embodiment enclosure 20 is inmarked contrast to most other rotisseries which typically requireangling the spit rod assembly into its cooking position and carefullyfitting one of the spit assembly's ends into a drive socket.

[0154] Use of the relatively large diameter spit plates 172 and 174 asthe final reduction gear in the motor rotational speed reducing geartrain driving the spit assembly 170 has several advantages when comparedwith typical rotisserie drives which use a gear box terminated by adrive socket directly coupled to the spit rod.

[0155] The spit plate's 172 and 174 large outer diameter gear 180greatly reduces the play and backlash in the motor speed reduction geardrive train caused when off-center weighted foods are rotated. In thissituation the motor pushes off-center foods uphill until the off-centerweight swings over the top of center and then moves downhill constrainedby the drag of the motor. The shift from the motor pulling the fooduphill to the motor constraining the food's movement downhill causes ashock load on all the gears in the gear reduction train, andparticularly on the final drive gears, as any free movement, or play,between the gears in the gear train shifts with the full power of theoff-center weighted foods behind it.

[0156] Typical final drive gears found in rotisserie drive trains areone-tenth or less of the diameter of the spit plate's outer gear teeth180 and thus generally are far less durable, have far more play, and putfar more load on both the spit and attached food, and on the rest of thereduction drive gear train itself. This in turn may result in shortermotor and gear life, food disengaging from and falling off of the spitrod, and unacceptable levels of noise and vibration.

[0157] The speed reduction between the drive gear 208 and the gear teeth180 on the spit plate 172 and 174 is ten-to-one in the preferredembodiment but may be greater or less depending on the desired diameterof the spit plate and the coarseness needed in the gear teeth. In thepreferred embodiment, such a high gear reduction outside of the geartransmission 210 attached to the gear reduced motor 212 means that fewerand less durable, which may translate to less expensive, gears may beused inside the gear transmission 210 attached to the gear reduced motor212.

[0158] And by eliminating the drive socket which is generally used toattach the spit assembly to the final drive gear of the motor speedreducing gear transmission, any play in the socket engagement with thespit assembly or any binding in inserting or removing the spit assemblyinto and from the drive socket are eliminated

[0159] Both the first 172 and the second spit plates 174 each have eightevenly spaced kabob holes 182 penetrating their structure just insidetheir perimeter gear teeth 180. These holes 182 are designed to hold theends of self rotating kabob rods 184. Each kabob hole 182 is essentiallycircular hole passing through the spit plate 172 and 174 with fourevenly spaced semicircular lobes 214 carved into its perimeter.

[0160] Engaging these kabob holes 182 are self-rotating kabob rods 184.Each kabob rod 184 has a pointed end 216, and an end with a drive cam218 and retaining spring 220. The kabob rods 184 work by the spitassembly 170 first being put together with the spit rod holding tubes192 on the second spit plate 174 being pushed over the pointed ends ofthe two spit rods 176 and 178 projecting from the first spit plate 172.

[0161] Each kabob rod 184 to be used is then loaded with food byskewering the food onto the kabob rod 184 using its pointed end 216. Anynumber of kabob rods 184 may be used at any one time, from one up to thespit assembly's 170 capacity of eight.

[0162] To insert a kabob rod 184 onto the spit assembly 170, the pointedend 216 of the kabob rod 184 is inserted through a kabob hole 182 in thespit plate 172 and 174 which will be closest to the inner panel 103 ofdouble paneled left wall 30. Then the rod 184 is backed into an opposinghole 182 in the other spit plate 172 and 174 where the retaining spring220, as its widest 183 part passes through the kabob hole, snaps andretains the kabob rod 184 from side to side movement away from or towardeither spit plate 172 and 174 similar to the way a clothing snap works.This insertion process is easy and intuitive and is repeated for eachkabob rod 184 to be used.

[0163] Insertion of the kabob rods 184 onto the spit assembly 170 may bedone while the spit assembly 170 is outside of the enclosure 20 or whileit is placed in a track position inside the enclosure 20, such, as anexample, as being placed in the rest position 168.

[0164] The spit assembly 170 with attached kabob rods 184 is theninserted into the low heat track position 122, and the embodiment turnedon by setting the cooking time on the timer 222 and turning the controlswitch 224 to the “Normal Heat Rotation” position.

[0165] As shown in FIG. 15, each 360 degree rotation 175 of the spitassembly 170 causes each kabob rod 184 to be rotated 177 one-quarterturn by the kabob rod's 184 drive cam 218 being rotated by the spitplate 172 174 into the drive gear 208 which forces one of the kabobrod's cam 218 arms striking the drive gear 208 to move and consequentlycauses the one-quarter turn rotation of the kabob rod 184.

[0166] The four lobes 214 in each of the spit plate 172 and 174 kabobholes 182 help stop each kabob rod 184 at even one-quarter turnintervals, and also help prevent a kabob rod 184 from rotating in itskabob hole 182 when it is not being driven by the drive gear 208 pushingon the kabob rod cam 218.

[0167] This kabob rod 184 automatic rotation results in all sides of thekabob rod cooked food being cooked evenly, unlike in most rotisseriekabob cooking where one side of the kabob food gets cooked more than theopposite side.

[0168] The kabob rods 184 on the preferred embodiment are better thanothers commonly available for several reasons. First, they 184 mayautomatically rotate, as explained above, which cooks kabob foods moreevenly on all sides than non-rotating rods.

[0169] Second, one, or up to the spit wheel's capacity of eight kabobrods, can be in use at any time. Some kabob rods require the entiretransport wheel to be loaded with kabob rods in order to operate.

[0170] Third, the rods 184 can be inserted or removed while the rods 184are inside the cooking cavity 104. Many kabob rods require a lot ofspace to be inserted or removed from their transport wheel, and thusthey could not be inserted and removed from inside a confined cookingspace.

[0171] Next, the rods 184 are very efficient in space utilization andallow foods to be placed along most of the rod's 184 entire length.Along with this, the rod's 184 means of attaching to their transportwheels 172 and 174 is compact and therefor allows more room for cookingfoods with less wasted space for attachment to the transport wheels 172and 174. Many kabob rods use a substantial portion of their length forcoupling which limits their cooking space.

[0172] And the kabob rods 184 intuitively snap into place which makesthem easy to use. This also generally removes the need for userinstructions. Many kabob rods have complicated coupling mechanisms whichare both difficult to use and require detailed user instructions.

[0173] The rods 184 offer the ability for each rod 184 to automaticallyrotate or remain stationary at the user's discretion and in anycombination (i.e. 3 rotating and 2 remaining stationary allsimultaneously) simply by the user facing the rod's cam 218 toward oraway from the drive gear 208 side of the cooking cavity 104. Thisfeature is not found on other kabob rod designs.

[0174] And when the rods 184 are stationary, bacon, slabs of baby backribs or other foods may be wrapped around and clipped to the rods indrum-like fashion for fast even cooking.

[0175] As most clearly shown in FIG. 8, directly adjacent to, andapproximately half way up the back 26 of the enclosure 20 of thepreferred embodiment, is a serpentine shaped electric heat coil 110.This coil 110 winds back and forth across the back 26 of the enclosure20 creating four straight heat rods 226 terminated by three “U” turns228 and two rods passing through the enclosure's right side interiorwall. The coil is supported on its right and left ends by supportbrackets 230 and 232 which slide over the “U” turns 228 in the coil andposition it to allow for expansion and contraction as the coil heats andcools, while maintaining the coil's correct position.

[0176] This heat coil 110, unlike heating elements in conventional ovenswhich turn on and off under thermostatic control, may remain constantlyon during cooking. This minimizes cooking times and simplifiesembodiment construction when compared to rotisseries which cycle on andoff while cooking. Alternatively the heat coil 110 may bethermostatically controlled and forgo these advantages.

[0177] Through the constantly on heat coil 110, the embodiment iscontinuously heating air inside the enclosure 20, and is constantlyradiating cooking energy. By being constructed to have a heating element110 which remains constantly on and thus having no thermostat, thepreferred embodiment obviates the need for safety devices such as safetythermostats and thermal fuses designed to protect the device if a userset thermostat should fail. This further simplifies construction of theembodiment when compared to most conventional oven constructions.

[0178] Some rotisseries place their heating elements or sources of heatbelow the spit. This may create safety problems from grease fires andflare ups. When grease, oil and residue collected in drip receptaclesbelow the spit become overheated from a heating source located below thespit, smoke and fires can result. When grease, oil or other residue dripor splash onto heating elements, other heat sources, or other hotsurfaces, fire and smoke can also result. Heat sources located below thespit also tend to raise the overall height of the rotisserie which maybe a problem when it is used in kitchens with cabinets located overtheir countertops.

[0179] Some enclosed rotisseries place their heating source above thespit assembly. These elements, due to their locations, and because bothradiant and convection heat given off by the elements tends to rise, aregenerally less efficient than heat sources placed lower in the cookingenclosure 20. This high position also tends to raise the overall heightof the rotisserie which may be a problem when they are used in kitchenswith cabinets located over their countertops. This problem is compoundedby top mounted heating sources superheating the top of the cookingenclosure 20 which in turn may cause heat damage to over-countercabinets. Such superheating may also create heat and fire safetyhazards.

[0180] Both low and roof mounted heating elements, because they may havetheir heat sources located near the middle or front of the rotisserie,may create an increased potential for users burning their hands wheninserting and removing foods from the rotisserie enclosure when comparedto a back mounted heating element.

[0181] By the preferred embodiment placing its heating element in theback 26 of the enclosure 20, risk is minimized that a user will burnthemselves on the element 110 or element heated hot surfaces.

[0182] By the preferred embodiment placing its heating element mid waybetween the floor 22 and ceiling 24 of the embodiment enclosure 20,problems of both low and high mounted heat sources are overcome. As anexample, this mid way heating element 110 location helps minimize theoverall height of the embodiment, and greatly reduces any chance ofsmoke and fires from the contents of the drip pan becoming overheated orfrom grease, oil or other residues splashing onto heat coil 110 or heatcoil warmed hot surfaces.

[0183] When compared to roof mounted heat elements, this mid locationalso reduces the temperature of the roof 24 of the embodiment, thusreducing the risk of heat damage to over-counter cabinets and the riskof burning users on the roof 24

[0184] This mid location in the preferred embodiment is also generallymore efficient in conveying cooking energy than heat coils mounted abovethe spit assembly 170.

[0185] This mid location, when compared to heat elements located aboveor below the spit which generally are closer to the front of theenclosure, also tends to reduce the temperature on the outside of thefront door 32, including the front door 32 glass, which in turn reducesthe risk a user will burn themselves on these surfaces.

[0186] The mid heat element 110 location in general, when compared toheat element locations above or below the spit assembly, reduces alltemperatures on the forward exterior of the enclosure 20 where users aremost likely to come in contact and potentially burn themselves. This ingeneral reduces user safety hazards both directly from burningthemselves on the enclosure 20 or from accidents, such as accidentallydropping hot food, after unintentional contact with such hot enclosure20 surfaces.

[0187] Located directly behind the heating element 110, and held inplace by the left 230 and right 232 heater element support brackets, isa removable cleaning shield 234. During rotisserie cooking, grease, oiland residue may be splattered off food as the food becomes heated infront of the heating element 110. Thus the area behind and adjacent tothe heating element 110 tends to get dirty. Heat from the heatingelement 110 bakes on the grease, oil and residue and makes cleanupdifficult.

[0188] The cleaning shield 234 may be coated with a nonstick ceramiccoating similar to that used in many of today's nonstick fry pans. Thiscoating is medium gray in color and thus tends not to show when it isdirty.

[0189] However, when it becomes dirty, the cleaning shield 234 is easyto clean simply by gripping the shield 234 by its bent-over top edge 236and pulling it up and forward 235 and out of the enclosure 20. Once thusremoved, the shield 234 may be washed in a sink or dishwasher.Reinserting the cleaning shield 234 is accomplished by reversing theremoval process.

[0190] By being behind and adjacent to the heating element 110, thecleaning shield 234 receives radiant heat from the element 110. Whencompared to a shiny surface cleaning shield placed behind the heatingelement 110, the medium gray ceramic coating on the cleaning shield 234has been found to cook foods as fast or even faster than their shinycounterparts.

[0191] Although definitive tests have not been performed to prove thetheory, it appears there are two reasons for this unexpected cookingefficiency. First, the medium gray ceramic nonstick coated cleaningshield 234 gets hotter than a similar shiny cleaning shield. This inturn raises the interior air temperature of the enclosure 20 which inturn reduces cooking times.

[0192] Second, radiant energy striking the medium gray ceramic nonstickcoated cleaning shield is reradiated at a lower infrared frequency thanradiant energy striking a shiny cleaning shield. This lower frequencytends to absorb quicker and deeper into foods which in turn results inshorter cooking times.

[0193] These same cook time reducing features can be found with othercleaning shield coatings. As an example, self-cleaning oven interiorcoatings similar to those found in the DeLonge Alfredo Toaster Ovenwhich today is widely available in U.S. department stores such asRobinson-May and Macy's, show similar advantages and require even lesscleanup than nonstick ceramic coatings.

[0194] The nonstick ceramic coating on the cleaning shield 234, by notreadily showing when it is dirty, reduces the amount of cleaning thatthe cleaning shield 234 requires. This same coating, when compared toother surfaces, makes cleaning the shield much easier. Cleaning ease isalso greatly enhanced by the cleaning shield 234 being easy to removefrom and reinsert into the enclosure 20.

[0195] As mentioned earlier, the heating element 110 in the preferredembodiment remains constantly on during rotisserie cooking which createshot air which must be safely vented from the enclosure's 20 interior.

[0196] Directly behind the heat shield 234, on the curved center wallsection 34 connecting the back 26 of the enclosure 20 to the roof 24 ofthe enclosure 20, are upward facing vents 238. These vents 238 allow airheated by the constantly operating heating element to escape theenclosure's 20 interior. These louvered vents 238 are indented inwardwith their openings at the top of the indent.

[0197] This arrangement of upward facing louvers 238 reduces potentialheat damage to overhead cabinets when compared to more conventionalindented louvers with their openings at the bottom of the indent. Thisis because hot air must first rise above the louver 238 and then exit bydropping down into the louver 238 opening rather than simply risingdirectly through the louver opening.

[0198] Forcing the hot air to first rise and then drop, reduces itsvelocity and creates turbulence which breaks up potentially damagingconcentrated streams of fast moving exiting hot air.

[0199] Placing the vents 238 on the curved wall section 34 connectingthe back 26 of the enclosure 20 with the enclosure's roof 24, whencompared to placing the vents on the back 26 or the roof 24 of theenclosure 20, helps hot air exit away from backing walls the embodimentmight be placed against, or exit away from overhead cabinets theembodiment might be placed under. Exiting hot air also tends to followalong the curved wall section 34 breaking away slowly and this furtherdisperses hot air concentration.

[0200] There are gaps 240, 242, 244 and 246 between the glass door 32and the frame 116 it rests against on all four sides of the door 32. Thegaps on the lower side of the glass door 32 generally allow cool air toenter the enclosure's 20 interior, and the gaps around the upper sectionof the glass door 32 generally allow hot air to exit from inside theenclosure 20. This air movement helps control interior enclosure 20temperatures which might otherwise rise to unacceptable levels due tothe heat element 110 remaining constantly on during rotisserie cooking.

[0201] The gaps 240 and 242 between the door frame 116 and the glassdoor 32 are exceptionally wide on both the left 242 and right 240 sidesof the glass door 32. Hot air exiting out these left 242 and right 240side gaps is dispersed and broken up by these exceptionally wide gaps240 and 242 being inclined with the glass door 32 which help form theside gaps 240 and 242. Such dispersion and breakup of the hot air risingfrom the inclined side gaps 240 and 242 helps prevent heat damage tooverhead cabinets which the embodiment might be placed under.

[0202] The interior temperature of the enclosure 20 is controlled by theventing already described both on the curved wall 34 connecting the back26 wall of the enclosure 20 with the roof 24 of the enclosure 20 and theventing from the gaps 240, 242, 244 and 246 surrounding the door. Anequilibrium is reached involving the cooking energy supplied by heatingelement 110, a cooling affect from the cooler temperature of the foodbeing cooked, the amount of venting, and the ambient air temperature ofthe room in which the embodiment is operating. In the final stages offood cooking the preferred embodiment is engineered to produce an airtemperature measured near the center of the enclosure's 20 interior ofaround 250 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Such a temperature, when comparedto both warmer and cooler cooking temperatures, has been found toproduce exceptionally satisfactory results in rotisserie cooked foodtaste and texture.

[0203] An alternate form of controlling cooking temperatures is shown inFIGS. 7 and 8. Here the shaft of the gear reduced motor 212 is extendedthrough the case of the gear transmission 210 and a radial fan 258 isattached to the end of the motor's shaft. This fan 258 pulls through itboth cool air 260 from outside of the enclosure 20 as well as hot air262 from inside the enclosure 20. The cool air 260 and hot air 262 aremixed and the combined warm air move into the space between the interiorwall 101 and outside wall 99 of the double paneled right side wall 28. Along scoop shaped vent 264 adjacent to the right side of the glass door32 directs warm air out 266 over the exterior of the glass door when theembodiment is on and cooking with the glass door 32 closed. Thisdirected warm air 266 cools the exterior of the glass door to help lowerits temperature and thus the chances of a user getting burned bytouching its surface.

[0204] Other vents 268 at the top of the double paneled right side wall28 direct 280 the warm air moved by the fan 258 out 280 over the metalroof 24 of the enclosure 20 thus cooling the roof 24 and lowering itstemperature to reduce the risks of burns from users accidentallytouching the roof 24 when it is hot. Air from these vents 268 is blockedwhen the warming/steaming tray unit 144 is placed on top 24 of theenclosure 20 thus increasing the heat on the metal roof 24 and allowingthe warming/steaming tray unit 144 to function in its normal way. Othervents may be placed in other locations around the double paneled rightside wall 28, such as example adjacent to the curved metal section 34 orback 26 of the enclosure, to help vent the interior of the enclosure 20and reduce the chances of accidental burns from a user touching thatsection 34 and 26 by mistake.

[0205] The enclosure 20 is generally symmetrical side to side whenviewed from the front. However there a few exceptions to this. First,there is a control/motor housing 248 mounted to the outside panel 99 ofthe double paneled right side wall 28. The control/motor housing 248 hasa power cord 250 extending out its back and contains within it: a threehour mechanical timer 222, a control switch 224, and a gear reduced 210motor 212 which powers the drive gear 208, referred to earlier,projecting through the interior panel 101 of the double paneled rightside wall 28. The heat element 110, as described earlier, also projectsfrom the interior panel 101 of the double paneled right side wall 28 andis supported by brackets 230 and 232 attached to both the right interiorside wall 101 and the left interior side wall 103. There too is a light98 and light reflector 106 mounted between the interior 101 and exterior99 panels of the double paneled right side wall 28 which lights theinterior of the enclosure 20 through a translucent glass cover 100disposed on the interior wall 101 of the double paneled right side wall28. This light 98 has a red lens 112 which extends from the light 98through the light reflector 106 and exterior right panel 99 to theoutside of the double paneled right side wall 28.

[0206] The control/motor housing 248, as just described, is attached tothe outer panel 99 of the double paneled right side wall 28. Instead ofmounting the controls 222 and 224 on the front face of the embodiment asmost conventional ovens do, the preferred embodiment mounts its controls222 224 more than one-third the way back on its right side. It alsomounts the control/motor housing 248 above the bottom of the embodiment,so that more than one-eighth of the outer panel of the double paneledright side wall 28 is left exposed under the control/motor cover 248 toallow items on the countertop 42 on which the embodiment might rest tomove and reside under the control/motor housing 248.

[0207] Placing the controls 222 and 224 in a separate housing 248 andplacing the housing 248 more than a third of the way back on the sideand more than an eighth of the way up the side of the cooking enclosure20 has been found to maximize valuable useable counter space whilesimultaneously not significantly impairing the accessibility, usability,or required visibility of the controls.

[0208] Adding to this accessibility, usability and required visibilityof the controls 222 and 224, the surface on which they are displayed isinclined, and inclined both in plan and side views. Such doubleinclination, by facing the controls 222 and 224 toward the user whoseeyes and hands are generally disposed above and to the right side of theenclosure 20, helps in both the viewing and the use of the controls 222and 224.

[0209] Two devices control the embodiment's operation. The first is amechanical three hour count down timer 222. This windup timer 222 allowsthe embodiment to operate for up to three hours without having to resetthe timer 222. An electronic digital can be substituted to perform thesame function. Three hours is appropriate because a fifteen pound turkeytakes about 12 minutes per pound to cook or about three hours in total.Thus three hours may accommodate such a large item without having excesstime which might result in timer inaccuracies and loss of safetyadvantages. As an example, a four hour mechanical timer might have itstime markings closer together on its dial and might have a mechanismwhich is inherently less accurate than a three hour timer. Both of theseconditions would reduce the timing accuracy for the user. And safetymight be reduced it the user could leave the embodiment for four, five,or six hours, instead of only three hours maximum.

[0210] The second control device is a control switch 224 which regulatesthe functions of the heat element 110, the gear reduced motor 212, andthe light 98. The control switch 224 is only functional when the timer222 is set and running with time on it. As shown in FIG. 5, the controlswitch 224 has three positions 252 254 256. Starting from the left, thefirst position 252 called “No Heat Rotation” turns on the gear reducedmotor 212, causing the spit assembly 170, if installed, to rotate, andturns off both the light 98 and the heat element 110. The light 98 beingoff, along with no light shining through the red lens 112, indicates tothe user that the heating element 110 is off and is not receivingelectricity. This first switch position 252 is generally used afterfoods have been rotisserie cooked to cool the foods down whilecontinuing the rotational flow of juices in and around the foods. It 252keeps foods moist while not allowing grease, oil and/or other liquids tosettle into the foods. It 252 may be used with the glass door 32 open132 134 87 or closed 85 depending on whether it's desirable to cool thefoods to serving temperature rapidly or slowly. If the first switchposition 252 is used with an electronic timer, the heat element 110might be run at lower wattage or cycled on and off during this coolingdown period to keep the foods warm for a prolonged period of time.

[0211] The second control switch position 254, titled “Normal Rotation”,is used for rotisserie cooking. In this control switch position 254 thegear reduced motor 212, the heat element 110, and the light 98 allremain on. The light 98 being on, along with light shining through thered lens 112, indicates to the user that the heating element 110 is onand receiving electricity. In the second control switch position 254,foods are rotisserie cooked for the amount of time set on the timer 222.

[0212] The third control switch position 256, titled “Pause to Sear”, isused to brown or sear the surfaces of foods. In this control switchposition 256, the gear reduced motor 212 is turned off, thus stoppingthe spit assembly 170 from rotating, but the heat element 110, and thelight 98 remain on. Using this switch position 256 involves rotating thefood using either of the other two control switch positions 252 and 254until the side of the food to be browned or seared faces the heatingelement 110, and then turning the control switch 224 to the “Pause toSear” position 256. The food will brown or sear in this position 256until the time set on the timer 222 expires.

[0213] Circuits to perform the functions described herein are well knowto one knowledgeable in the art and thus are not described in thisdocument.

[0214] Besides the countdown timer and control switch, the gear reducedmotor is enclosed in the control/motor housing. Although many types ofmotors and gear transmissions might be suitable, a half inch stackshaded pole motor with spur and helical reduction has been found toproduce particularly satisfactory results in the larger size embodimentwhose dimensions have been described earlier

[0215] The smaller embodiment, whose dimensions were described earlier,might use a less powerful, and therefore less expensive motor, such as agear reduced synchronous motor. Synchronous motors have an advantage ingenerally producing less noise than generally larger shaded pole motorsand other motors commonly used in rotisseries. Use of the spit plate asan extra large and durable final drive gear allows use of synchronousmotors which usually have less durable transmissions than those used onthe more expensive shaded pole motors.

[0216] Several accessories can fit on the spit assembly. As an exampleas shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a metal wire basket 270 might be fitted.This wire basket 270 might have a metal wire framework covered with anonstick coating to prevent foods from sticking to the basket.

[0217] The lid 272 of the basket 270 is fitted with a fixed wire tab 274on one side and a finger retractable wire tab 276 on the opposite side.Each tab fits into one of several slots 278 and 280 defined by wires oneach side of the dished out lower part 282 of the basket 270. Thus thelid 272 may be adjusted to clamp onto and hold during rotisserie cookingseveral different thicknesses of foods.

[0218] There is a certain degree of springiness in the lid 272 and thelower part 282 of the basket 270, and this springiness allows the food284 being held in the basket 270 to be clamped under pressure betweenthe lid 272 and the lower part 282 of the basket 270 so that the food284 is prevented from shifting while cooking. The same springinessallows different thicknesses of food to be held securely at the sametime. Helping this ability to accommodate different thickness foodsimultaneously, the fixed tab 274 and the finger retractable tab 276 mayeach be inserted at different heights above the floor 286 of the dishedout lower part 282 of the basket 270.

[0219] Securing food in the basket 270 is a simple process. The food 284is first placed on the floor 286 of the dished out lower part 282 of thebasket 270. The fixed wire tab 274 on the lid 272 is slid into 283 oneof the slots 278 on the side of the dished out lower part 282 of thebasket 270. The slot 278 chosen, and hence the height of the lid 272above the floor 286 adjacent to the fixed wire tab 274, should beslightly lower than the height of the food 284 directly adjacent to theslot 278.

[0220] The finger retractable wire tab 276 is then retracted 288 bysqueezing on the movable 290 and fixed 292 handles of the fingerretractable wire tab 276. The finger retractable wire tab 276 side ofthe lid 272 is then lowered 294 to clamp the food and the retractablewire tab 288 inserted into one of the slots 280 on the side of thedished out lower part 282 of the basket 270 by releasing finger pressureon the movable 290 and fixed 292 handles of the finger retractable wiretab 276.

[0221] Attaching the basket to the spit assembly 170 is done by simplyinserting the two spit rods 176 and 178 through four integralsemicircular loops 296 which are part of the dished out lower part 282of the basket 270, and then placing the second spit plate 174 over theends of the spit rods 176 and 178 and inserting the spit assembly 170with the basket 270 in the normal manner into the cooking cavity 104.

[0222] The basket 270 is centered on the spit assembly 170 and fitsbetween the two spit rods 176 and 178. This is different than most spitbaskets which either have a spit rod running through their center or areplaced off center to the spit assembly rotation axis. Those baskets witha spit rod through their center limit their capacity to cook large flatfoods such a steaks and fish. Those baskets which are placed off centerto the spit rotation axis cook one side of the foods they contain morethoroughly than the other. By contrast, compared to these alternativedesigns, the basket of the preferred embodiment cooks food more evenlyon both sides and has the ability to hold foods up to the full size ofthe basket. In the real world, both of these are major advantages inrotisserie cooking.

[0223] The fixed 274 and finger retractable tab 276 lid 272 attachmentdesign of the preferred embodiment also has major advantages over otherlid latching designs. As an example, many designs adjust to only onethickness of food. The preferred embodiment, through use of two tabs 274and 276 which fit into separate slots 278 and 280 which individuallyadjust their heights, not only allows adjustment to different thicknessfoods, but allows several different thickness foods to be held in thebasket 270 simultaneously.

[0224] Likewise, in contrast to lid attachment designs which are rigid,the preferred embodiment is springy which allows it not only adjust todifferent thickness foods being simultaneously held, but allows it alsoto put clamping pressure on the foods, even foods of differentthicknesses, being held in the basket so they won't shift duringrotisserie cooking. Shifting foods tend to get damaged and to fall outof the basket. Rigid basket designs generally don't provide this springloaded clamping pressure.

[0225] The finger latching mechanism used on the preferred embodiment isalso superior in simplicity and ease of use compared to other basketdesigns. As an example, the basket on the preferred embodiment may besecured closed with food in it using only one hand. Many other designsrequire two hands to close and latch.

[0226] Such baskets may be made in several different sizes. FIGS. 16 and17 illustrate a relatively flat basket, perhaps as an example, one toone-and-a-half inches thick, which would be inserted with the spitassembly 170 in the low heat position 122 and hold such foods as steaks,fish and small vegetables. This basket's 270 perimeter is determined bythe maximum size which will fit between the first 172 and second 174spit plates and clear: the heat rods 110, the glass door 32, the cookingcavity ceiling 142, and grate cover 162.

[0227] A thicker basket, perhaps twice as thick as the previous basket270 but otherwise similar in shape and dimensions to the previousbasket, might be made to hold lobster tails, potatoes, and other largervegetables and foods, as well as hold all the kinds of foods theprevious basket 270 might hold.

[0228] Such a thick basket might also be made which would only extendout to the perimeters of the first 172 and second 174 spit plates. Sucha basket might be used when it is mounted to the spit assembly 170 andthe spit assembly 170 is supported in the high heat position 202, closerto the heat coil 110 where the reduced size would now allow the basketto clear. It would hold all the same foods the previous two describedbaskets could, but in smaller amounts. In return for these smalleramounts due to its restricted size, this basket would cook foods fasterwhen it was placed in the high heat position.202 This basket could alsobe used in the low heat position 122 if slower cooking speeds weredesirable.

[0229] A thinner version of this high heat basket might also be made foruse where food thickness was not a factor.

[0230] As illustrated in FIG. 13, another accessory which might beincluded with the preferred embodiment is the rotary cooking container298 which stir fries and rotary cooks foods such as meats, vegetables,popcorn, shrimp, seafoods, etc.

[0231] This container can also be used with or without rotation butwithout heat inside the embodiment to marinate meats and vegetables bysimply putting the meats or vegetables into the container 298 along witha marinade or rub and leaving the timer 222 in the off position orturning on the timer and placing the switch into the “No Heat Rotation”position. The rotary movement, if used, helps the marinade penetrate allsides of the meats or vegetables or helps the rubs coat all sides of themeats or vegetables with little or no intervention on the part of theuser.

[0232] This accessory comprises a spit assembly 170 mounted cylindricaltubular housing 300 with at least one opening on one end, such opening302 which may be covered by a lid or door when cooking. Severalagitation blades 304 project from the interior surfaces of thecylindrical housing 300, and help move and direct food inside thehousing 300 while the housing 300 is being rotated.

[0233] As shown in FIG. 13, in use, the cylindrical housing 300 ismounted onto the spit rods 176 and 178 through holes in the housing'sends 306 308.

[0234] A shape other than cylindrical may be used for the tubularhousing 300 of the rotary cooking container 298. As examples, thetubular housing might be squarcle (cross between a square and a circlelike an old television screen), square, pentagonal, hexagonal,irregular, or other shape in cross section.

[0235] To use this accessory 298, the user mounts the tubular housing300 onto the spit rods 176 and 178, puts food and possibly cooking oil,spices, etc. inside the housing 300 though the hole 302 or holes 302 inthe ends 306 and 308 of the housing 300, caps the housing 300 if a capor door is to be used, and places the spit assembly 170, including therotary cooking container 298 with its food contents, into the low 122 orhigh heat 202 spit mounting positions inside the enclosure 20.

[0236] The cooking process which follows this is like normal rotisseriecooking, except foods can be tumbled as they cook inside the container,and if cooking oil is present, a form of stir frying may be performed.

[0237] The rotary cooking container 298 may be fabricated from stamped,rolled or cast metal, or from glass or from other appropriate materialswell known in the art.

[0238] An alternative rotary cooking container 299 is shown in FIG. 13A.This container 299 requires no spit assembly 170 to operate, but insteadincorporates integral stub axles 301 and 303 and an attached spit plate305 with gear teeth 307 to support and rotate the container 299 insidethe cooking cavity 104. Agitators 309 inside the container 299 help moveand tumble the food during cooking, application of rubs, marination.

[0239] A liquid tight door 311 covers an opening 313 in the side of thecontainer 299 through which the container 299 may be loaded andunloaded. Steam and expanding and contracting gasses are vented througha small vent hole 315 located adjacent to one of the integral stub axles303.

[0240] This alternative rotary container 299 has large useable capacitybecause there are no spit rods running through its center. It also maybe very easy to load and unload due to the large opening 313 in itsside. It also has the added advantage that no assembly is required, thecontainer is complete and does not require a spit assembly 170 to beplaced through its center to operate. And this container 299 may be usedfor all the same function of the rotary cooking container shown in FIG.13.

[0241] Either the rotary cooking container shown in FIG. 13 or the oneshown in FIG. 13A add a convenient cooking feature of automaticallyagitating foods without user intervention. When cooking, this means thatfoods tend not to burn and may be cooked with little or no oil or fats.Either rotary cooking container may be nonstick coated on theirinteriors to help facilitate not using fats and oils during cooking.Such coatings are well known in the art and thus are not described indetail herein.

[0242] Inserting and removing foods into and from the cooking cavity 104of the preferred embodiment is typically an easy process. However, thepreferred embodiment includes a pair of gloves 310 shown in FIG. 19 tosimplify the process. These gloves 310 are different than normal kitchengloves however. Their 310 outer surfaces 312 are coated with a flexible,water and grease tight material, like plastic or rubber, similar to aset of dishwashing gloves. This water and grease tight material coversan insulating layer of cotton fabric less than {fraction (1/16)} of aninch thick which helps prevent hot foods from burning the user. Thegloves 310 extend over the wrists and cover part of the user's lowerarm.

[0243] A user may lift foods, such as chickens, turkeys, steaks, ribs orvegetables, which are either mounted or not mounted on the spitassembly, both into or out of the preferred embodiment's cooking cavity104, when the food is either hot or cold, using the gloves 310.

[0244] The gloves 310 prevent the user's hands from getting dirty orgreasy and help protect the user from getting burned when handling hotfoods.

[0245] The gloves 310 also simplify handling cooked and uncooked foodsin general, and make easier the mounting and releasing foods to and fromthe spit assembly by removing concerns the user might have of gettingdirty and greasy, and getting burned when directly using his or herhands to help perform these tasks. The gloves 310 can also help protectthe user from cuts which he might get using knives or other kitchenutensils, or from the spit rods 176 178 and other rotisseries parts andaccessories.

[0246] The gloves 310 are washable simply by placing them under runningwater and possibly using a little soap or detergent to help removegrease.

[0247] The gloves 310 are formed as normal four finger one thumb gloves,however they may also be formed as mitts with only one separationbetween thumb and finger enclosure areas, or they may have separationsfor every two or three fingers etc.

[0248] Unlike the gloves 310 that come with the preferred embodiment,conventional cooking gloves and mitts can not protect a user from hotgrease, liquids and oils when directly handing rotisserie cooked foods,nor can such gloves and mitts be easily cleaned.

[0249] Also, unlike the gloves 310 that come with the preferredembodiment, conventional cooking gloves and mitts generally do notextend over the user's wrists and lower arms and thus do not provideprotection against burns in these areas which approach hot cookingcavity walls while the user is reaching into the rotisserie cookingcavity to mount or unmount the spit assembly and for other reasons.

[0250] What has been described herein is merely a preferred embodimentof the present inventions. It is not intended to show all possibleapplications for the inventions nor should it to be deemed as limitingthe scope of protection afforded to the present inventions. Such scopeis defined by the claims appended hereto and their legally interpretedprotection. Many variations may be made which exhibit the presentinventions but do not literally duplicate all or parts of theembodiments described herein.

[0251] As examples: scale and proportions may be changed to provideincrease capacity or more efficient use of available space; materialsmay be changed such as use of cast or stamped metals, or use of glass orthermoset or thermoform plastics to form the enclosure 20 or partstherein such as the spit plates 172 and 174 and drip pan 120 or otherparts; other types of motors might be used such as PM dc motors,universal motors, inductance motors, synchronous motors, etc.; pots,pans, fry pans etc. might be used for heating foods on top 24 of theenclosure 20 either to augment the warming/steaming tray unit 144 or inplace of it; curved glass might be substituted for the single flat panelof glass 64 used in the inclined door 32; the control/motor housing 248might be round, square or other shape in side view; the light 98 mightbe placed in other parts of the enclosure such as in the forward uppercorner; electronics and possibly remote controlled electronics might beused to control the oven; bigger or smaller diameter spit plates 172 and174 might be used to give more kabob locations and better mechanicaldrive advantages or make handling of the spit assembly 170 easier; othertypes of handles 90 might be used on the door 32 such as a moreconventional center handle or handles extending from the sides of thedoor 32, or a handle going the full width of the top of the door;materials other than glass might be used for the door 32 such as plasticor metal.

[0252] Such changes are in the spirit of the present inventions whichare limited by the claims herein and their legal interpretations.

What is claimed is:
 1. A plate, having a peripheral boundary and aninterior area, for use in cooking foods within an enclosure, comprising:a heat resistant material having a substantially circular shape; and aplurality of teeth situated around the peripheral boundary of the platwherein the interior area and the peripheral boundary are positioned intwo difference planes.
 2. The plate of claim 1 wherein the plate is madeof metal.
 3. The plate of claim 1 further having a projection extendingfrom the plate toward the enclosure.
 4. The plate of claim 3 wherein theprojection is positioned in the interior area of said plate.
 5. Theplate of claim 4 wherein the projection is positioned substantially inthe center of said plate.
 6. The plate of claim 3 wherein the enclosurehas at least one indentation and the projection extends into saidindentation.
 7. The plate of claim 6 wherein the projection has at leastone groove.
 8. The plate of claim 7 wherein the groove divides theprojection into a first part and second part, said second part extendinginto the indentation.
 9. A plate-shaped member, having a periphery and afrustum, for use in cooking foods within an enclosure, comprising: ametallic material having a substantially circular shape; and a pluralityof teeth situated around the periphery of the member.
 10. The member ofclaim 9 wherein the frustum is conically shaped.
 11. The member of claim9 further having a projection positioned substantially in the center ofsaid member extending from the member toward the enclosure.
 12. Themember of claim 11 wherein the enclosure has at least one indentationand the projection extends into said indentation.
 13. A spit assemblyfor use in a cooking device, comprising: a first plate-shaped memberhaving an inner side, a peripheral boundary, and an interior areawherein said first plate-shaped member comprises a heat-resistantmaterial having a substantially circular shape and a plurality of teethsituated around the peripheral boundary of the first plate-shaped memberand the interior area and the peripheral boundary are positioned in twodifferent planes; a second plate-shaped member having an inner side, aperipheral boundary, and an interior area wherein said secondplate-shaped member comprises a heat-resistant material having asubstantially circular shape and a plurality of teeth situated aroundthe peripheral boundary of the second plate-shaped member and theinterior area and the peripheral boundary are positioned in twodifferent planes; and at least one spit rod having a first end coupledto the inner side of the first plate-shaped member and having a secondend coupled to the inner side of the second plate-shaped member.
 14. Aspit assembly for use in a cooking device, comprising: a first platehaving an inner side, a periphery, and a frustum wherein said firstplate comprises a metallic material having a substantially circularshape and a plurality of teeth situated around the periphery; a secondplate having an inner side, a periphery, and a frustum wherein saidsecond plate comprises a metallic material having a substantiallycircular shape and a plurality of teeth situated around the periphery;and at least one spit rod having a first end coupled to the inner sideof the first plate and having a second end coupled to the inner side ofthe second plate.
 15. The spit assembly of claim 14 wherein the frustumof the first plate and the frustum of the second plate are conicallyshaped.
 16. The spit assembly of claim 14 wherein the cooking devicecomprises a back wall, a first side wall and a second side wall.
 17. Thespit assembly of claim 16 wherein the frustum of the first plate extendstoward the first side wall and the frustum of the second plate extendstoward the second side wall.
 18. The spit assembly of claim 16 whereinthe first plate has a projection extending from the plate toward thefirst side wall and the second plate has a projection extending from theplate toward the second side wall.
 19. The spit assembly of claim 18wherein the first side wall has at least one indentation and the secondside wall has at least one indentation.
 20. The spit assembly of claim19 wherein the projection of the first plate extends into theindentation of the first side wall and the projection of the secondplate extends into the indentation of the second side wall.
 21. Acooking device comprising: an enclosure; a spit assembly comprising afirst plate having an inner side, a periphery, and a frustum whereinsaid first plate comprises a metallic material having a substantiallycircular shape and a plurality of teeth situated around the periphery, asecond plate having an inner side, a periphery, and a frustum whereinsaid second plate comprises a metallic material having a substantiallycircular shape and a plurality of teeth situated around the periphery,and at least one spit rod having a first end coupled to the inner sideof the first plate and having a second end coupled to the inner side ofthe second plate wherein the first plate and the second plate each havea projection extending from the frustum. a first and a second track inthe enclosure, the first track adapted to receive the projection of thefirst plate of the spit assembly and the second track adapted to receivethe projection of the second plate of the spit assembly; a heatingelement located inside the enclosure; and a drive mechanism to rotatethe spit assembly when in contact with the spit assembly.
 22. A spitassembly for use in a horizontal axis food cooking rotisserie,comprising: a first plate-shaped member having an inner side, aperipheral boundary, and an interior area wherein the interior area andthe peripheral boundary are positioned in two different planes; with theinterior area being recessed into the inner side, and a first spit rodhaving a first end coupled to the inner side of the first plate-shapedmember.
 23. The spit assembly of claim 22 wherein the peripheralboundary of the first plate-shaped member is connected to the interiorarea through a generally frustum section.
 24. The spit assembly of claim23 wherein the first plate-shaped member includes a circular set of gearteeth on its periphery.
 25. The spit assembly of claim 22 furthercomprising a second plate-shaped member wherein the first spit rod has asecond end coupled to the second plate-shaped member.
 26. The spitassembly of claim 25 wherein the second plate shaped member has aperipheral boundary and an interior area, the interior area and theperipheral boundary being positioned in two different planes.
 27. Thespit assembly of claim 25 further comprising a second spit rod coupledto both the first and the second plate-shaped members.
 28. The spitassembly of claim 26 wherein the peripheral boundary of the secondplate-shaped member is connected to the interior area through agenerally frustum section.
 29. The spit assembly of claim 26 wherein thesecond plate-shaped member includes a circular set of gear teeth on itsperiphery.